Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 25, 1995

There was a Heisman Trophy flavor in Tucson on Saturday. . . .

The 1964 winner, Notre Dame quarterback John Huarte, was there for a wedding. . . .

The 1965 winner, USC halfback Mike Garrett, was there for the Trojan-Arizona game. . . .

So was the 1979 winner, USC running back Charles White. . . .

And that night, Trojan Athletic Director Garrett and assistant coach White were treated to a Heisman-caliber performance by wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. . . .

USC and Arizona were engaged in a scoreless tie early in the second quarter and the combination of so few long gains and so many TV timeouts was putting the capacity crowd to sleep. . . .

Then Johnson made the kind of play that has established him as the most exciting performer in college football. . . .

He caught a pass from Kyle Wachholtz on the Arizona 15, executed a couple of dazzling moves that left Arizona defenders tackling the desert air, then outran three Wildcats into the end zone. . . .

The Trojans were on their way to a 31-10 victory that left them as the only unbeaten, untied team in the Pacific 10 Conference. . . .

“They were trying to attack me with three or four guys,” Johnson said about his touchdown, “so I just kinda ran through ‘em.” . . .

Johnson caught nine passes for 112 yards. He now has 11 consecutive games of 100 yards or more receiving. In three games this season, he has 25 catches for 412 yards and three touchdowns. . . .

Events in Boulder, Colo., also enhanced Johnson’s chances at this early date of winning the hardware given by the Downtown Athletic Club in December. . . .

Colorado quarterback Koy Detmer will sit out at least one game after injuring his knee. Texas A&M; tailback Leeland McElroy was held to 52 yards on 23 carries. . . .

Despite all those folks Arizona assigned to Johnson, he says opponents still don’t show him enough respect. . . .

“They underestimate my speed,” he said. “They see this tall, thin dude and don’t think I can run very fast.” . . .

They probably don’t think he is very physical, either, but USC assistant coach Mike Sanford claims that no wide receiver in the nation blocks better. . . .

The ultra-efficient Trojans have committed only one turnover this season, an interception thrown by third-string quarterback Matt Koffler late in the rout of San Jose State. . . .

Meanwhile, UCLA continues to struggle after its opening-day victory over Miami that no longer seems so impressive after the Hurricanes’ loss to Virginia Tech. . . .

A loss to Oregon a week ago Saturday left the Bruins flat for their next assignment at Pullman, where they didn’t wake up until Washington State had built a 24-0 lead. . . .

At 0-2 in the Pac-10, it’s apparent that the Bruins’ only appearances at the Rose Bowl will be during the regular season. . . .

At least they have a quarterback controversy. My vote goes to freshman Cade McNown over junior Ryan Fien. . . .

*

The L.A. Raiders and L.A. Rams didn’t win on the same day all last season. . . .

The Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams have won on the same day three of the first four weeks this season. . . .

Unlike recent Raider teams, this one didn’t panic when it fell behind the Philadelphia Eagles, 17-0. . . .

At 40, Vince Evans can still throw strikes. . . .

Remember when the New Orleans Saints had a defense? . . .

Funny, but owner Georgia Frontiere is making herself quite visible on the sideline now that the Rams are winning. . . .

So much for those miracle Cincinnati Bengals. . . .

Think the Pittsburgh Steelers miss Rod Woodson? . . .

About the only thing worse than the Arizona Cardinals’ defense is their offense. . . .

The 11 days of San Diego Charger training camp that Natrone Means sat out during his holdout sure have slowed him down. . . .

Vinny Testaverde has thrown only one interception in four games, as good a reason as any for the Cleveland Browns’ fast start. . . .

Maybe the victory of a continent, Europe, over a nation, the United States, in the Ryder Cup shouldn’t be considered such a big upset. . . .

The Dodgers lead the Angels by one game in the freeway championship race. . . .

Vin Scully on Mike Piazza’s mammoth home run in the sixth inning against San Diego: “That’s really out of here.” . . .

The Angels have led the opposition for nine consecutive innings.